Former Premier League referee Keith Cooper, 78, has confirmed he is alive and well after being mistakenly declared dead this week in an error that was widely reported before being corrected.
The mix-up occurred when the Wiltshire FA and FAW announced that Cooper had died at the age of 78. In fact, it was another referee of the same name, from Wiltshire, who had sadly passed away. The official statements were picked up by several news outlets, including WalesOnline, before being swiftly deleted once the mistake came to light within minutes.
A bizarre encounter at the sports centre
Cooper, who refereed in the Premier League from 1993 until his retirement in 1996, has had to reassure people that reports of his demise are entirely false. He recalled a bizarre encounter days after the announcement.
"I walked into the sports centre yesterday to have my jab and the fellow went, 'You were dead!'", Cooper said. "Well, I'm not dead, I'm here and I'm OK!" he laughed.
Not only is he alive and well, but he remains as sharp as ever and still keen to crack a joke. "I've got one for you," he said. "There's five sports where you use a net but you don't use a ball. I promise you, it's not a catch!"
A distinguished career in football
Cooper is a familiar name to football supporters across the UK. One of the highlights of his career came when he took charge of the 1994 League Cup final between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Wembley. His career with the whistle followed an unsuccessful attempt to make his way in the game as a player, having joined Cardiff City as a youngster but never breaking into the first team.
Despite speculation that he was a budding goalkeeper in his youth, Cooper laughed off the suggestion. "No, centre-forward! Why would I be a goalkeeper? Five-foot nothing! You winding me up or what?" he said.
Cooper has long been a familiar face to Cardiff City supporters, having followed the club since his playing days. These days, however, his footballing allegiances tend to follow the fortunes of his son, Steve. "I supported Cardiff because I played for them, but didn't make the first team," he explained. "But I supported Swansea because my son was the manager there. And I supported Nottingham Forest because my son was the manager there, he took them up."
Family pride and life after refereeing
Cooper is immensely proud of his son, whose managerial career has taken him from international success with England's youth teams to promotion with Nottingham Forest, a spell at Swansea City and a stint in Denmark with Brondby. "He's done exceptionally well. I'm really proud of him," Keith said.
But footballing achievements are only part of the story in the Cooper household. "I'm so proud of my other boy as well, Neil. He's in charge of the cancer hospital in Swansea, so that's a biggie," he said. "I'll tell you a funny one. Neil says to his brother, 'You play with your balls, I'll just save lives, all right?' They're very, very close. It's nice."
Following his retirement from refereeing, Cooper remained involved in football through radio punditry, while also working with children with special educational needs for Torfaen and Caerphilly councils. He also enjoyed a spell working on matchdays at Cardiff City. "When I did Real Radio, they asked me if I would do some work for Cardiff City as well on a matchday. So we did," he recalled. "It was great. I really enjoyed it."
These days, life moves at a slightly gentler pace in his beloved Pontypridd, the town he has called home for so many years. Reflecting on his life, Cooper is quick to point out the person who has been the constant throughout it all. "The key to us all is the lady on my right, my wife, Jillian," he said affectionately. "She keeps me on the straight and narrow. Not only me, the three of us! Well, they're both married now, so it's a bit different."
After a week in which his name has appeared in headlines for entirely the wrong reasons, Cooper is happy to put the record straight. At 78, he's very much alive, in good health and still finding plenty to laugh about.
